BBQ'd Duck salad and a walk |

BBQ'd DUCK SALAD and a walk!

I love cooking and also love experimenting with the combination of different ingredients.  Occasionally,  there is a success!  Today was such a day and I thought I'd share the recipe.

I had never cooked duck breasts before, and when a visiting friend suggesting cooking them on the BBQ,  I was very interested in what they would taste like.  They were delicious.   The smoky taste and the fact that the fat was completely rendered made eating these delicate tender slices quite memorable.

We BBQ'd two more last night and as one was more than enough for the two of us,  I wrapped the remaining breast in tinfoil to go in the fridge overnight.  While shopping this morning I thought of making a salad incorporating the left-over duck.  I decided on delicate sweet folds of butter lettuce rather than the 'little gems' that I'm so fond of.  

Duck is quite 'gamey'  and I feel needs sweetness to offset this flavour.  I decided to re-heat the breast, still in the foil, in the oven.   I had left-over slices of roasted white beetroot and roasted red capsicum which I thought would go well with the duck.  Mango would also enhance the salad especially visually.  At the last minute,  I added walnuts too!  

A word on how to cook the beetroot which I also learnt from my friend, is to wrap each beet in foil and bake until soft.  Peel and slice into a bowl.  Last night,  I added orange juice, a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

These white beetroot are silky,sweet and delicious.

Roast Capsicum in flat oven pan using a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  I like them slightly charred.

The salad was truly delicious (well in my opinion it was) and Mr R-I agreed!

Before the recipe,  a word on the BBQ-ing technique.  As there is a great deal of fat,  I'm not sure how a gas BBQ would stand up to the intense rendering!  We have an old charcoal fired Weber BBQ here in Boussac which was perfect!  The breasts need to be scored, salted and peppered and should be at room temperature.  This is important as they don't cook for long in order to get that perfectly pink, slightly rare result.    

Once the coals are 'ready'... and this is not an exact science,  place the scored breasts fat side down and wait until the flames shoot up.  The lid then needs to go down with the air vents open to stop the flames!  Last night,  we cooked them for 5 mins on the fat-down side,  and then 3 mins on the other side. They were then rested for at least 6-8 minutes before being sliced.  

Recipe for the Salad

Butter lettuce - 

 washed, dried and arranged on a platter.

Sliced white beetroot or red

Sliced mango

Sliced roasted peppers (in a little olive oil) (no      vinegar added)

Walnuts

Dressing of orange juice, olive oil, Maile mustard, 

  and honey.

Combine everything and (hopefully) you will love this as much as we did!... let me know!

Before I sign off,  a few photos taken with my iphone on yesterday's walk..

Most locals have vegetable gardens

This garden is being watched closely by a hare in a cage?? Poor old Peter Rabbit!

Giving a whole new meaning to the word 'rickety'!

The 15thC Boussac Chateau

For the picking

A still stream

Laden with plums

Higgledy-piggledy!

Have a good week everyone!